Residues and persistence of endosulfan in Dry Tobacco leaves and cigarettes

Abstract

Pesticide residue surveys in agricultural products have never been conducted in Greece and data concerning pesticide residues are circumstantial and fragmentary. These are derived from few researchprojects goingonoccasionally in Greece but mostly from national surveys and pesticide residue surveillance programs in countries importing agricultural products from Greece. Recently a research program on pesticide residues and pesticide persistence studies in different agricultural products has beeen approved and initiated with respective research in tobacco leaves and cigarettes. Tobacco is considered to be one of the main agricultural products of Greece. Many tobacco varieties (basmas, koulak, samsous, tsebel, burley, virginia et~ are cultivated in Greece and a high percentage of the annual production is exported. Therefore, data concerning the residues and behaviour of pesticides in tobacco leaves as well different tobacco products is of concern to the Greek as well to other country cigarette and tobacco smokers. The use of most organochlorine insecticides has been banned in Greece except for endosulfan and lindane which are still in use for the protection of many crops including tobacco. The residues and behaviour of these two pesticides in dry tobacco leaves and cigarettes will be discussed in the present communication. MA"I~RI~T.~S AND MR~~-IODS Samples of dry tobacco leaves consisting of approximately 500 g each were collected either from individual tobacco growers from different tobacco growing areas of Central and Northern Greece or were supplie<] by Tobacco Export Companies. These samples were taken mostly from the 1987 tobacco yield. Cigarette samples from different brands either produced in Greece or imported consisting of 200 to 60 cigarettes each were purchased from the local market (1987). Before the analysis, individual leaf samples were further dried at 45 ~ for two days and pulverized using a Wiley Mill. The cigarettes from each brand sample were opened and the already cut tobacco leaf material was mixed thoroughly and dried as previously.